Dive Brief:
- The Arkansas Career Pathways Initiative combines subsidies and human resource support to low-income families who enroll in community or technical college training programs to advance in their careers.
- In partnership with social work, college and corporate entities, participants in the programs are twice as likely to complete a degree or certification program in five years as typical community college students, who complete at a 39% rate.
- The program has more than doubled since its inception 20 years ago, from 11 to 25 community colleges throughout Arkansas.
Dive Insight:
Arkansas' program is the kind of model the Department of Education has been promoting over the last few months as the future of higher education — partnership between state and corporate bodies to help students find and complete pathways to jobs. What is most impressive about this program is that it creates a model for communities in the south, where jobs and educational access are most scarce, and creates a blueprint for institutions with low-levels of diversity on how to engage and support low-income and minority students.
While the model is centered around the flexibility and resources which are unique to community colleges, four-year institutions can learn from similar pathway programs for managerial development or entry-level workforce preparation in proximate industries.